Margin of Victory
by ThebigW
Summary: NASCAR action. Sesshomaru rules the track. But, what's this? InuYasha bides his time, but Kouga's luck runs out as Kagome and the others look on. Chapter 6 is rolling out of the pit area at top speed.
1. Heart Like a Wheel

Inu-Yasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.

I make nothing from this work. Thank you for reading it.

* * *

All right everybody, listen up."

The buzzing about the small office died down as Totosai, manager of the NASCAR racing team, stepped behind the desk to make sure he had everyone's attention. Wiping his hands clean of the coolant fluid he had just been working with, he surveyed those in attendance. The twenty-two team members had been through a lot lately, and there was quite a bit of nervous energy in the room.

"We've all been through quite a few changes lately since Winston lost sponsorship of the Cup. Nextel has been doing an excellent job thus far and I don't expect that to change. You've all done well in making the adjustments you have for us to have gotten to this point and I expect that to continue. Sometimes change is good."

Totosai made that last comment looking directly at InuYasha and Kouga, the top two drivers on Team Hidaka. Both young men were of a highly competitive nature, as much between themselves as the other drivers on the circuit. That competitiveness sometimes led to disaster as often as it led to victory. Kouga rolled his eyes at the comment, while InuYasha gazed at his watch as if he had something more important to attend to right now. Totosai continued.

"Allow me to introduce you all to our new principal owner, Lady Kaede Hidaka. Please give her your warmest welcome." With that he stepped away from the desk to allow a heavy-set woman in her early sixties to step up after shaking hands with her. The gathered group gave a round of applause.

"Thank you all. I feel quite fortunate that I am able to lend my support to such a dynamic and competitive group of young people such as yourselves."

She continued to speak for another ten minutes, taking and answering questions from the team. Presently, she ended her speech.

"I'll continue to work behind the scenes with the other sponsors to make sure you have all you need to win and keep on winning!" With that, she raised her fist in the air.

The room erupted in cheers.

In the back of the room, Kagome Higurashi stood and clapped along with everyone else. As a part of the pit crew, she knew the importance of all parts of a team working together for a common goal.

The newest member of this team, she had just come over from Team Myoga, the third-place team in the most recent Craftsman Truck series. That team had finished the season just 45 points behind the winner. Even now, Myoga's words echoed in her mind.

* * *

"Kagome, you're leaving us now? One more year and you could become the points leader and the first female champion at Craftsman. I just have this feeling in my old bones."

"You don't know how badly I feel about this, Mr. Myoga. I'd never want to abandon you, but something inside me keeps telling me that I could be among the best ever, and I have to follow my heart. I only hope you can understand."

"Well... of course. It is a bit selfish of me, wanting to keep my best driver, but I won't stand in your way. Best of luck to you, Higurashi. I'll be keeping my eye on you, and if you ever feel that things aren't working out, you'll always have a place here."

* * *

Team Myoga had done as well as they had in no small part to Kagome's outstanding driving skills. The number one female truck racer in the world with three outright wins last season, here she was, in the big leagues, having to start all over again. Although officially in the pit crew, Totosai had marked her in 4th position in the driver's depth chart behind Kouga, InuYasha, and Miroku based on her past experience. It was unlikely that she would get any time in an actual race, but the standings were in a constant state of flux as this was the tightest year most fans could remember.

Team Kunikida boasted the current points leader, Sesshomaru, and his teammate Naraku held fast to third place. Kouga was only 25 points behind Sesshomaru in second and InuYasha had fallen to fifth, thanks to the crack-up last week that knocked him out of first place. He was still less than 70 points behind first, due to his success earlier in the season. Kagome held out hope that some twist of fate might happen that would allow her to help make a difference.

She did know two things. She could drive fast and she could compete. The Nextel cars had more power and weight than the trucks, but she could adjust. All she needed was a chance. Kouga and InuYasha were great drivers who sometimes took great risks, and Miroku was a competent, but steady driver who never finished out of the top 20, but never in the top 5 either. Anything could happen out there at 190 mph.

She bit her lip lightly in anticipation. All she could do was make certain she was prepared when the hoped-for opportunity presented itself.

* * *

A/N: Next, drama at high speed. 


	2. Dangerous Curves Ahead

&&&&&&&

"Hey, InuYasha, looks like we got a few cuties on the crew this season, eh?" Miroku had his feet up on the club room coffee table as he cracked open his ice-cold MGD.

"Ya, well they ain't dogs at least…hey, toss me one of those. InuYasha needed to drop the 3-ball in order to run the table against Kouga.

Clack.

"Whoop! That's another Jackson ya owe me, bud. Cough it up."

Kouga crushed the bill into a ball and bounced it off of InuYasha's head. He then dropped himself into the big chair as he grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels until he hit "Sports Center".

"You guys gonna hang out tonight, right?" InuYasha took a gulp with an audible belch right behind it.

"Yeah, we deserve to have some fun." Kouga accepted.

"Are you kidding? We got qualifying tomorrow. No way." Miroku said resignedly. InuYasha retorted.

"Yeah, ya old geezer. Turning into a doddering oldster right in front of my eyes. Geez, are ya sure you don't need any help getting into and out of the cars by yourself? I'll bring ya back some "Depends" in case ya pee yourself by accident." Kouga guffawed while Miroku shot him a look that he was not amused.

"Suit yourself. C'mon Kouga."

&&&&&&&

"Well, where the hell is he?" Totosai was getting even more anxious. Kouga had just climbed out of his car, having made his second run. He had clocked 178.28 mph, more than enough to qualify.

"How the hell should I know?"

"You were with him last night, right?"

"Hey! He got his paws on some strange and got lucky, I guess. I can barely remember how I got my own ass home." He ran his fingers through his hair as he took off his helmet. His head was still pounding from lack of sleep and last night's bar-hopping.

'Remind me not to do that again anytime soon.' He told himself.

Totosai considered his options. Kouga had qualified his own car. Miroku was already in the qualifying queue and he wouldn't be able to make his runs and get back to the pit area in time. He had only one choice.

"Higurashi!"

He yelled over the roar of the car just passing. Kagome was going over the choreography of fuel cell replenishment, tire changing, as well as windshield cleanup and driver refreshment with the rest of her crew. She excused herself and ran over to him.

"Yes sir."

"Kagome, it looks like I'm going to need for you to try to qualify the "57" car. You've already done warm-up laps in the cars, so it's not like you're a total novice."

"But that's InuYasha's car!"

"I know. He's… indisposed at the moment." Totosai sought to salvage his star's credibility as best he could.

"Is he ill?" Kagome became concerned.

"Listen. Enough with the 20 questions. Are you up to it or not?" He hoped that throwing down the gauntlet would change her attention.

"I… well of course."

"Good. Here's your authorization slip. Yura has the car already in the queue. Good luck."

"Thank you… I…"

"Enough, girl. Call in to me as soon as you've got the 2-way hooked up. Now get your ass in gear!"

"Yes sir." And off she ran.

&&&&&&&

Yura looked up as she saw the other girl approach the official and give him what looked to be an authorization slip.

'That's Kagome. Where's InuYasha?'

The official waved Kagome on and she walked up to the car. '57' was a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Actually, it was a fire-breathing beast with the fiberglass skin of a Monte Carlo.

"Hi, Yura."

"Where's InuYasha?"

"Totosai said he's ill or something, so I'm going to do the run today."

"One second."

The queue had moved so Yura inched up as well. She locked the car down, then grabbed the bars of the roll cage as she pulled herself out through the 'window'. More than a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing her crush this morning, she resolved to find out exactly what had happened to him. She nonetheless helped Kagome in after she secured her helmet.

"Listen, good luck out there. The girls will all be pulling for you to do well."

She patted Kagome's helmet and gave her a "thumbs up" which Kagome returned. Kagome moved up as the next car left for its run. Two more cars and it was her turn. Yura ran back to the pit area.

"Higurashi, do you copy?" Totosai's voice crackled inside her helmet.

"Copy. I'm next."

"All right now listen up. You'll get a warm-up lap and then the qualifying lap. We only need to get the car to 170 mph to qualify. This will be a piece of cake for you, got it?"

"Got it. A piece of cake."

The official gave her the signal and Kagome shifted into gear. Although the Monte Carlo weighed almost 3500 pounds, the 750 horsepower engine sent 550 ft/lbs. of torque to the drive wheels, and she took off like a shot.

In six seconds she was passing 100 mph. She shifted gears once again. In another six seconds she passed 140 mph. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thrill.

"All right Higurashi. You're doing fine. Just keep her steady and follow the line and you'll be all right." Totosai looked up as she zipped past the pit area the first time, the engine whining that it wanted to be let out even more.

"Got it. Copy that."

150 mph.

Kagome was almost panting with excitement as she fought to keep control of her emotions. This was as fast as she had ever gone with the trucks.

160 mph.

She was approaching the start of the qualifying lap.

Yura had by now informed the rest of the crew that Kagome was driving '57' and they all stopped what they were doing to follow her progress.

Talladega, Alabama was already hot that morning. 88 degrees hot at 9:30 am. That was fine. She could scorch the tires if she needed to. Kagome had a little over 1 mile left of the two-and-a-half mile oval to get to speed.

This was it. She had to downshift to slow into the turn, coming within 1 foot of the wall and then she gunned it.

155 mph.

160 mph.

165 mph.

She saw the finish line less than half a mile away, and coming up fast.

'C'mon Higurashi.' Totosai twisted the wire of his headset around his fingers as she thundered past the pit the final time.

There it was! She passed the magic number with 600 feet to spare, clocking out at 174.628 mph. The pit crew whooped and hollered.

'You go, girl.' Yura thought to herself with pride.

"All right Higurashi. You did well. You can take it easy on this next lap. InuYasha's in, and he'll just have to work his way through the field."

"Sir, I think I can do even better."

"That's not necessary. It's your first time at this speed and you've done enough. Just ease back and coast through this lap."

Kagome thought about what Totosai said for all of three seconds. She bit her lower lip. The car felt so right to her. She knew she could go even faster. If she disobeyed, however, she might never see the outside of the pit again.

She was going for it.

Downshifting into the turn before the starting marker, '57' almost squealed its delight over her decision. The tires gripped the surface, and she rolled out of the turn at 158 mph.

162 mph.

170 mph.

An assistant tapped Totosai on the shoulder as he was working on the chassis specs for Miroku's car.

"What is it?"

"Ah, I thought you told her to coast…"

"What!" He dropped his tablet and ran to the edge of the pit barrier

"What's the gun say!" He yelled.

"She's already at 177.25 going into the final turn!"

"Higurashi! What the hell are you doing!" He shouted into the headset.

With a roar of defiance, '57' rocketed past the pit toward the official timer. The number flashed on the big board.

188.82

"Holy shit! I think she got the pole position." The pit crew buzzed excitedly among themselves.

'57' rolled to a stop at the designated area and the crew practically yanked Kagome out of the car, slapping her on her back and helmet, some of the guys even hoisting her up into the air.

Totosai was at a loss. He had to keep his crew disciplined. The way they were whooping just now meant that he would have to wait until later to admonish Kagome privately for her transgression.

Kagome, astride the shoulders of two of the crew lived in this moment as if she had just won the race itself. She had gone faster than she ever had before. She would never go back to anything else.

&&&&&&&

Kagome walked out of the women's locker room and turned down the hall, nervously chewing her bottom lip. Deep in thought, she almost bumped right into InuYasha, the "golden boy" of the NASCAR circuit as he exited the men's lockers. Her eyes brightened at the prospect of finally meeting him. As soon as he saw her, his face disintegrated into a growl.

"Listen you, next time, keep your ass out of my car, understand? I would have gotten there in the next 5 minutes."

Kagome's short-lived feeling of pride turned quickly to one of frustration.

"I got you the pole position!"

"So that makes you hot shit, huh? Well that's nuthin'. I could do that blindfolded."

InuYasha stopped walking to turn and face her fully. Finally getting a good look at her from this proximity, he realized just how attractive she was. Dark hair cascading past the shoulders, beautiful deep brown eyes, and a fresh face untouched by makeup. And the way her ass filled out that jump-suit…

'Damn. Miroku was _right_.'

His eyebrow cocked and a wicked smile grew on his face.

"Hey, I got a pole you could get positioned on, sweetness."

He moved in even closer as his expression changed from one of annoyance to one of smooth seductiveness. He put one hand on her waist, while the other trailed up the zipper of her suit from her navel, through the valley of her breasts, to rest on her chin. She was so taken aback, his behavior was so inconsistent with his image, that it took Kagome a moment to get over the shock.

CRACK!

"Ass-hole!"

The sound of Kagome's slap was heard echoing down the hallway. InuYasha grimaced before prodding the suddenly tender area of his face with his finger tips.

"Shit! What did you do that for, bitch? Are ya that homely that no one ever comes on to ya? You should consider it a favor I'm doin' ya. Damn it, this is my photo side, too." He growled at her, his romantic mood changed suddenly.

"Nobody does that to me, ya understand?"

"Hey! What's all the ruckus?" Kouga stepped from the men's locker area.

"This stupid bitch hit me!"

InuYasha had his fists balled up, ready to strike. Kagome gave him a look that dared him to take a swing. Kouga laughed.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time, now would it?" He eased himself between the two combatants. Turning his back on InuYasha, he took Kagome's hand into his own as he bowed to her, his eyes sparkling up at her.

"Please excuse my friend's behavior. I don't know exactly what he said or did to upset you, but allow me to apologize on his behalf." With that, he leaned forward and kissed the back of Kagome's hand. Her anger immediately diffused and she began to blush.

"Oh… well… I… Please, you shouldn't have to clean up his messes."

She squinted an eye back to InuYasha, who was still fuming behind Kouga.

"Believe me, I've got a lot of experience doing just that. You're Kagome, right?"

"Umm… yes." She looked back and forth between the two, not sure if she was being played in a game of 'good guy, bad guy'.

"Hey, you did really well out there today. Keep it up and you'll be on more posters than me or this meathead here."

"Well now, when's the wedding gonna be? I didn't know you were gonna marry the bitch!" InuYasha shot back.

"My name's not BITCH! It's Kagome. Ka-go-me. Got it?" She glared at him once more as her anger resurfaced. Kouga whistled.

"Whoo. Hey now, let's all cool it. And we'd better get some ice on that slap mark, dude. It'll take a lot of make-up to cover that."

He almost laughed, but thought the better of it. Grabbing InuYasha's arm, he dragged him down the hallway, turning back to wink at Kagome.

"See ya later Kagome." Kagome smiled back as her blush started to return.

"Yeah. I'll see you later too! This ain't over by a long shot, you got that!" InuYasha made one last attempt to salvage his pride.

She turned to continue down the hallway towards Totosai's office, her thoughts finally coming back around. She wasn't looking forward to this. She was probably going to have her head handed to her, but she knew she had it coming.

&&&&&&&

A/N: Next pit stop – Sesshomaru and Naraku give the boys of Team Hikada a real run for the money.

Cynical chaos: thanks for your continued support. Hope it gets better.


	3. Who's the boss?

&&&&&&&

Sesshomaru glanced at his chronograph. 3pm. Time for his car's inspection. Taking one last sip of his black coffee, he carefully put on his racing jacket and checked his reflection in the mirror before he calmly stepped out of his trailer toward the garage area, not a hair out of place. He wasn't necessarily prone to vanity, however the marketing of the drivers, particularly the consistent winners, was so intense that the sponsors demanded the drivers be photo-worthy at all times. Nothing worse than taking a picture with a fan while sporting a coffee or catsup stain on one's jacket.

Although many drivers left the condition of their cars entirely up to the crew boss, Sesshomaru was a perfectionist by nature, and that almost insane attention to detail extended to the car he drove. If he could, he would be happy to examine every bolt and weld personally.

Jaken was rubbing his temples; a splitting headache had overcome him. He never admitted to anyone, but he much preferred when the team was in the middle of the pack, as the pressure on him was nowhere near as intense as it was with one driver as the leading points accumulator, and another driver in third, less than 50 points behind. Any little thing could mean the difference between success and failure. There is no second place at the end of the season. There is just the winner, and everyone else. There were so many details to take care of, and he felt that if he didn't oversee them all, everything would go to hell.

That didn't make him a very efficient crew manager, and the stress was taking its toll on him. Presently, he was working on a brake re-calibration for Naraku's car that the technician who had been working on it failed to complete.

'If I ever succeed in hiring a real crew...'

He suddenly felt a chill down his spine as he looked up from his work, his palms becoming sweaty.

'That's right! 3pm. Sesshomaru will be here any minute to inspect his vehicle.'

As he fretted over Sesshomaru's arrival, he thought of how he might make himself immune to any criticism, but he knew it was a losing effort as Sesshomaru exhibited amazing attention to detail, and was not easily fooled.

And if he _was _fooled, woe unto the perpetrator when he was found out.

"Didn't you tell me during the last race that you'd re-modify the right rear suspension linkage so that the slippage I experienced wouldn't require that I go to a heavier tire?"

Jaken almost jumped out of his skin as Sesshomaru had moved right behind him without Jaken even realizing it.

'How does he _do _that?'

Sesshomaru eyed Jaken coolly, then stepped under the lift to inspect the rear axle assembly.

"Y...yes. You're absolutely right. I did say that, didn't I?"

"So, what exactly have been the modifications?" He pulled a pencil-beam flashlight from his breast pocket and examined the assembly as the conversation continued.

"Well, Sesshomaru, you see, I... I haven't m...m... made them yet. N... Naraku wanted...

"We're not talking about Naraku, now are we?" Sesshomaru interrupted, a glint of anger flashing across his golden eyes.

"Tha...that's right

Jaken, you like this job, don't you?

Jaken rubbed the back of his head as he knew where this was going.

"Yes sir, Sesshomaru. I really love my job." His eyes were downcast.

"Tell me, Jaken. Where am I in the points standings right now?"

"You... you're in the number one position."

"And who else besides me is in the number one position?"

"N... no one."

"There are two reasons that I am the points leader at this juncture of the season. Would you care to tell me what they are?" Sesshomaru never lost his cool demeanor, but Jaken knew what lurked just beneath the surface, so he carefully considered his answer.

"You're the best driver."

"And?"

"And... you have the best car."

"See to it that I do. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

&&&&&&&

Kagome chewed her lower lip as she cast her eyes down at her fidgeting fingers. Totosai had just read her the riot act and had not yet excused her, so she was forced to sit and contemplate her actions while waiting for whatever he was going to say next. Totosai regarded her carefully. She was talented and he didn't want to break her spirit, but she _had _to understand this lesson, or she would be no good to him. He rubbed his chin before speaking.

"Kagome. When you drove for Team Myoga, I assume they had rules and regulations?"

"Yes, sir." She said meekly.

"And when it came to decision-making, Myoga had the final say?"

"Yes, sir."

"And did you ever willfully ignore a direct command given to you by Myoga?"

"No, sir."

"And, following his leadership and his rules, you were all very successful as a team?"

"Yes, sir." It was painful, but it was sinking in.

"Do you respect me any less than Myoga?" Kagome looked up and directly at him.

"No, sir." Totosai leaned back in his chair.

"Kagome, what do you want more than anything else?" After hesitating a moment, considering that it may have been a trick question, she spoke up.

"I... I want to race, sir. I want to race and I want to win."

"Can you accomplish that all by yourself?" He steepled his fingers together. Kagome averted her eyes for a moment, then looked back at him.

"No sir. I... need a team."

"Good. Will we have this conversation again?"

"No sir!"

"All right then. You may go. I want those fuel consumption stats by 6 pm tonight. I have to call in before the tanker makes its delivery."

Kagome stood stiffly, then marched out of the room as quickly as she could, trying very hard to not run.

&&&&&&&

It was hot and it was humid.

Even though the heat shields and deflectors sent most of the engine heat away from the driver's cockpit, it was still an oven inside.

The crowd numbered more than thirty thousand for this race, the TV broadcast to millions more, and as the cars lined up behind the pace car, the sound of the revving engines seemed to ignite the passions of the spectators even more as each one cheered for his or her favorite.

From his pole position, InuYasha had no one in front of him. Right next to him was Sesshomaru, who had finished with the second fastest qualifying time. Behind InuYasha was Naraku, and this more than anything else gave him a slight feeling of discomfort. It was Naraku who "nudged" him from behind into a spin from which he could not recover in the last race in the series. Naraku then slipped past him as he spun out of control. InuYasha took out two other drivers who failed to get by before he hit the wall opposite the pit area. Luckily, he was more angry than shaken up, and had thrown his helmet at Naraku's car when it came around the next lap. The other cars were moving slowly under the yellow caution flag, so his aim was true and his helmet bounced off Naraku's windshield.

"You son-of-a-bitch! I'm gonna kick your ass for that!"

Of course he never got the chance, but today was another day. He wouldn't put his chances of a high placement at risk, but if Naraku exposed himself at all, InuYasha would be right there to give him a few licks.

'Payback is a bitch.' He glowered as he revved the engine.

The steward raised the flag. The noise at ground-level was almost deafening.

The flag dropped, starting the pace car, and everyone else behind. After everyone was up to speed, the pace car ducked into the pit area and the starter flag fell.

The race was on.

&&&&&&&

Next: This is how the game is played.

Vixen12089: Glad you like. Thanks for the review.

Darkened-Halo: Kagome will have a lot of challenges, both professional and romantic. Thanks.

cynical chaos: I'm not a huge racing fan either, but I'm learning the sport to represent it properly in the fic. Just wanted to try to hit a niche no one has attempted before on ffn. Hope I get it right...

Everyone else: If you like this, please C & C. Thanks. Also, if anyone has any ideas for the numbers for Kouga's, Sesshomaru's and Naraku's cars, let me know. InuYasha's car is '57' because his haori is red, like 'Heinz 57' catsup. Yep, that's how I came up with it.


	4. Blowout

&&&&&&&

Two hundred and sixty laps. That was the duration of today's contest. InuYasha made certain he had a clear lead right after the start, then backed off a bit as he didn't want to start lapping the other, weaker cars too early. Besides, Totosai was screaming in his ear to not blow the engine by red-lining it.

The contenders, however, soon caught up to him, and the game began. Seshomaru's white number '7' modified Ford Taurus was the first to reach him, and, at almost 195 mph, pulled to within four inches of InuYasha's rear bumper, nestling neatly within the fuel-saving slipstream created by InuYasha's number '57'. Naraku's black number '13' Taurus pulled up behind Sesshomaru, and Kouga's rust colored number '3' was right behind that one. As more cars caught up, the samba line formed, moving like a rattlesnake with a caffeine high. Miroku was in row seven, in the blue '46' Chevy. Someone would make the first move soon, after they gauged just how powerful InuYasha's car was, and if he had the stamina to keep the lead position.

By lap 16, the positions had not changed, and team Kunikida decided it was time to make a move. The fans had been roaring for something to happen for a while now, but as InuTaishou Kunikida was fond of saying to his crew, if you too often do what the fans want, you'll soon be sitting among them. Turn number three was coming up again, and the groove InuYasha was traveling in would take him high up near the outer wall.

"All right, Sesshomaru, let's do this." Naraku's normally grating voice sounded even more so through the headset.

"Very well. Proceed. But do not let him goad you into doing something stupid."

"That fool? I doubt it. Once again you doubt my ability. That will be your undoing, Sesshomaru."

"Will it, now?"

Naraku left his tuck position behind Sesshomaru and roared up to challenge '57' from underneath on the banked turn. Kouga's voice crackled in InuYasha's ear.

"Dude. Here they come."

"Yeah, I see him. If he thinks he's gonna duck under me, he's gonna get fucked real good."

"How's your fuel?"

"I got about another six laps left. That's enough to pound his ass into the ground."

"All righty then. I'll make sure he's an orphan."

"Gotcha."

Knowing Sesshomaru would try to save a place for his teammate to re-draft should his bid for first fail, Kouga came out of his tuck position and stole the gap Sesshomaru created between his car and InuYasha's just as InuYasha accelerated to Naraku's challenge. If Naraku failed to take first, he wasn't getting his old spot back, and if InuYasha's car was indeed the stronger of the two, Naraku would pay for moving too soon.

This was what the crowd was waiting for, the throw-down, and they went berserk. The other, weaker drivers also began jockeying for position, and the race soon resembled two centipedes splashed in primary colors wriggling about.

Naraku got just about two-thirds of a car length ahead of InuYasha coming out of turn three but just couldn't completely pass him to take over the "groove", that part of the track that had taken the most traffic, and was thus slightly softer and yielded much better traction. InuYasha chuckled at Naraku's futile efforts.

"Just as I thought. Without restrictor plates, you ain't shit. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you from last time. Old ladies shouldn't be racing. They should just get the fuck outta the way."

"Naraku! We should regroup and..."

"No! I can take him!"

'Idiot'

Sesshomaru muttered under his breath.

Moving the steering wheel less than an inch, InuYasha's Monte Carlo tapped the rear quarter panel of the Taurus just enough to make it swerve slightly. Naraku recovered, but realized he was stuck and cursed his vulnerable position. InuYasha then tapped into his reserve of power and '57' roared up until they were neck and neck. This continued for two and a half laps, each car close enough to the other that InuYasha could have reached out and opened the other car's door, if it had one. Naraku growled exasperatedly, then conceded.

"Had enough? Good. Now back the fuck up."

InuYasha gloated as his car was indeed more powerful than Naraku's on this day. Naraku could also feel his car pulling slightly to the right, as that high-speed challenge likely took his suspension slightly out of tune. Could Jaken even be counted on to keep a car competitive? He would crush that toad when he next saw him.

'Shit.'

He would have to employ another tactic. Slowing down slightly, he saw that the gap he was counting on had disappeared. Kouga gave him a single-finger salute as he went past, followed by Sesshomaru, followed by half of the pack. Naraku almost lost his temper as he spoke into the microphone.

"Sesshomaru! Once again you have failed to protect our position. Despite the standings, your competence as a team player seems to be in serious doubt."

"Is that so? I'm terribly sorry, Naraku. I seem to be losing you. There must be something wrong with my two-way."

'Bastard.'

"InuYasha!"

Totosai broke into InuYasha's self-congratulaton.

"Yeah."

"Bring her in next lap to top off. I don't like the way she comes out of the turns when her ass-end is too light."

"Got it. Hear that, Kouga?"

"I heard."

"All right. Bump-and-run right after turn two."

"Gotcha."

They rolled out of turn two and InuYasha started the countdown.

"Three... two... one... Now!"

'57' dropped from the "groove" to allow Kouga to assume the lead position. Drifting back slightly until he was right next to Sesshomaru, InuYasha lightly bumped the white Taurus up and out of the "groove", allowing Kouga the chance to skip away to at least a four second lead before he disengaged and headed into the pits.

"Thanks, buddy."

"Yeah. Keep an eye out for Miroku. He's somewhere back there."

"Don't worry about me, I'm right here. Just came out of the pits. Someone needs to pay more attention to what's going on behind him."

"I never pay attention to what's going on behind me. And I won't be starting today."

&&&&&&&

Kagome tried to concentrate on her assigned tasks. She had the windshield cleaning fluids as well as the soft drinks in order. The containers with the fuel were all lined up and the tires were marked and stacked properly. Her mind, however, kept going back to this morning, and the events that transpired then. She and her new friend and hotel roommate Sango had just come downstairs to the cafeteria for some breakfast. As they approached the entrance they saw Yura waiting with her hands crossed over her chest.

"Kagome." She said coolly.

"Yura. How's it going?"

"It's going. Got a minute?"

"Sure. Sango, you go ahead. I'll catch up to you."

"O.k. See you in a bit."

As soon as Sango was out of earshot, Yura pulled Kagome a few feet away from the cafeteria entrance. Kagome snatched her arm from Yura's grip and looked at the girl angrily.

"What the hell?"

"What, indeed. I understand that you and InuYasha had a little meeting yesterday."

'So that's what this is all about. Don't tell me she's...'

Kagome rolled her eyes, partly in amazement, partly in frustration.

"Yura, you don't understand..."

"You hit him!"

"Yes, but he deserved..."

"We could have been friends, Kagome. But I should have known better. Don't you ever lay a hand on him again. I don't care what he does."

"Yura, he hit on me, and he..."

"Liar! Don't you touch a hair on his head, you understand?"

Kagome was shocked by the emotional intensity in the girl's eyes; she was almost maniacal. By now, however, her dander was up, and Kagome didn't care anymore, pissed that she got sucked into this soap opera.

"Is that a threat?"

"No. That's a promise. InuYasha belongs to me, so you just stay far away from him."

Kagome couldn't believe how deluded Yura was.

"Belongs to you? Earth to Yura, InuYasha is a real piece of work. He couldn't care less..."

"That may be, but I'll be the one to work on him, got it?"

"Fine. Knock yourself out. I hope the two of you will be very happy together. You certainly deserve each other."

Since then, Yura had avoided her, speaking only when necessary. Kagome, finally having some time to cool down, realized that Yura was infatuated, and probably said some things she now regretted. Kagome chided herself for not having a cooler head as she put all the pieces together. Yura wasn't a bad person, just a bit deluded, and would probably need someone to be there for her when the jerk finally showed her his true colors.

&&&&&&&

"18 seconds. Come on, people! We have to do better than this! Now he's got to run even faster to make it up!"

Miroku had just pulled out of the pits and was picking up speed as he approached the main track. Totosai popped another antacid into his mouth and cracked the tablet under his teeth as he bemoaned the relatively slow pit time. Thankfully, Miroku's car got the full treatment. All four tires had been changed, his fuel was topped off, and he got to down half a Coke. With a screech, and a puff of smoke from the exhaust pipes, Miroku roared back into the competition, hoping to re-secure his position in 7th place, or better.

As he turned to review his clipboard, the voice of one of the assistants crackled in his ear advising InuYasha that he was to get left front and rear tire changes only along with his refueling. As the crew chief moved toward the pit wall, he failed to notice that one of the crew had left a stray fuel container right in the middle of the pit because he was resetting his stopwatch for the upcoming time trial when '57' pulled in.

Yura saw it.

She instinctively hopped over the barrier to retrieve it just as InuYasha's car turned onto pit row. The speed limit was a posted 35 mph. Not caring if he was fined for speeding in the pits, InuYasha was more concerned that he was already twenty seconds behind Kouga. He was still traveling at about 70 mph, flying past the other pit crews, ignoring their yelling and fist-shaking.

'Fuck it. I got good brakes.'

Yura, bending down to lift the empty fuel tank, broke the second rule of the pit worker, which was to never turn your back to the action. She was so concerned that the container could be struck and sent out onto the main track and she figured it would take her at most ten seconds to run over and get it.

Any debris on the track could cause the caution flag to come out and allow the other drivers to pit and top off their fuel, ostensibly reducing Kouga's lead. And they just _had _to catch Team Kunikida.

Totosai was lost in thought.

'Maybe that last pit stop was a fluke. The averages are still looking pretty good...'

"Yura, get out of there!"

The voice exploded into Totosai's headset. Wheeling around, he saw the girl pick up the empty fuel cell and turn around. Out of the corner of his eye, the bright yellow numbers '57' came into his peripheral vision. He dropped his tablet. He couldn't get to her in time.

'Oh gods, no.'

Yura looked up as she turned around and froze. It was only then that she remembered rule number two, but it was too late. Here was her death, coming for her, and it was bright red and making quite a bit of noise, like a fire-breathing dragon of yore roaring down the mountain to devour the princess. As the sun's glare moved off the windshield, she could now see InuYasha's eyes through his helmet, and the horror they reflected as he realized too late that she was in his path.

Those beautiful, golden eyes. And they were looking right at her, not past her or through her as they normally did. Things began to move in slow motion just then.

Her breathing.

Her heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the rest of her crew behind the barrier waving frantically to get her attention. Then, through the headset, she heard _his _voice. What? Was this really a dream come true?

"Yura! Yura! Get out of the... "

'My name. He's... calling me... by my name. He knows who I am. He...'

The squeal of rubber as brakes locked, the intense heat of the sun, the roar of the crowd, the smell of oil and sweat and gasoline, the thunder of engines quaking out 800 horsepower, these were the things she would take with her as she stepped off of the plane of this life.

But not today.

With the force of a pro linebacker, Kagome hit Yura from the side full on at the next-to-the-last second, knocking the both of them clear of the raging beast. Car 57 swerved slightly as it skidded another fifteen feet before stopping partly into the next competitor's pit area.

Totosai's heart was up in his throat, pounding away. He had to remove his headset with shaking hands, the string of profanities coming through from his star driver included some things even he had never heard in all his years.

&&&&&&&

A/N: Next, Spinning and twirling and flipping... and fiberglass pancakes!

Eviloni101: Thanks, you got your wish.

PaperTazuna: Sorry it took so long to update. I'll try to do better.

kingdomnite: Thanks for your comments.

Vixen12089: Thank you. I'll try to update sooner!

cynical chaos: what can I say? Reviewers like you make all the work worth it.

Everyone else: enjoy...

Ja ne.


	5. Speed Bump

&&&&&&&

"Yura, are you all right?"

For a while, the voice sounded like it was coming from far away. Yura slowly opened her eyes, and beheld Kagome's face, full of surprise and concern, just inches from her own. Yura blinked, and then finally realized where she was. A bit more quickly than she should have, she stood to brush herself off before rubbing the shoulder she had landed on when Kagome saved her. She was a bit disoriented from the blow she got from Kagome, and she tried her best to shake it off, not wanting the other girl to observe her in any state of weakness. Kagome, seeing that she was still out of sorts, reflexively grasped her by the forearm.

"I… I'm o.k. Umm…."

By now, Yura realized everything that had happened, and she hesitated as she was somewhat conflicted. A part of her desperately wanted to say "thank you", but those words would not come out no matter how hard she tried. After all, wasn't this her rival? Yura blinked as she stared at the other girl, remembering the caustic, bitter words she had left behind the last time they spoke. Now this very one had saved her life. She felt embarrassed, to say the least, a bit remorseful, and also somewhat angry that she now owed a debt of gratitude to this girl whom InuYasha…

InuYasha…

InuYasha..?

"InuYasha! Is he all right!"

She gasped as she spun in the direction his car had taken, following the trail of his skid marks, making herself a bit dizzy once more. Yura's own condition didn't matter, so long as nothing bad had happened to him. She gave a sigh of relief when she spotted the car, about twenty feet away, moving slowly toward them. There didn't seem to be any damage to it, and she could see him moving around inside. A few crew members were at the hood of InuYasha's car, pushing it back into the proper pit position. The other pit crew, whose space he had invaded, yelled out their upset with curses and threw in a few finger gestures for good measure. InuYasha's winning record may have been respected, but he was not exactly considered the 'person they'd most like to bring home for dinner' by the other drivers. He glared out of the "window" at the two girls as he was backed up, then, as the car passed them, he shouted at Yura.

"Way to get yourself killed, you stupid bitch! Why don'cha just run right out onto the track? Then I could make sure and do the job right! Plus I could squeeze in a pit stop off the caution flag!"

Yura tried not to show that his comments affected her, but Kagome saw her wince when his words cut through her, and despite the girls' earlier spat, she didn't believe Yura deserved that from anyone, least of all _him_. She turned and pointed directly at him.

"Listen! It's not her fault you were speeding in the pit lane, you stupid… _ass_! I wouldn't…"

"Kagome!"

Totosai had by now reached the two girls, and interrupted Kagome's retort.

"Is Yura all right?"

He scanned her up and down. Yura's shoulder still throbbed, but she wanted no one to think that she was that weak, so she straightened up, running a hand through her hair. She felt for and wiped an oil smudge from her cheek, then pulled her wrist from Kagome's grasp.

"I'm fine, sir."

Totosai let out a deep breath.

"Thank the gods… and you too, Kagome. That was quick thinking. Now, much as I'd like to stay and chat, let's all get back to work. We're already twenty-five seconds behind!"

As he pointed to his stopwatch for emphasis, Yura left them and ran over to the pit barrier, then jumped over it to head back to her station. The other crew were changing the tires and topping off the fuel for InuYasha's car. One of the crew passed him a container of soft drink, but he waved it away and pointed to Kagome. The crewman gave a quizzical look, and then shrugged. InuYasha stuck his head out the window and yelled once again.

"Hey, _bitch_, move your ass! Didn't you hear the boss? Ya wanna do your job or not?"

Kagome's face grew red at his words, but she picked up her pace anyway as the other crew had completed their tasks by now, and she knew she couldn't hold up the pit stop any longer. All eyes were now upon her. In her mind, the seconds ticked by much too quickly, and she was feeling the warmth of her embarrassment at being made the center of attention. Although he could have taken off without a drink, indeed, he could have accepted it when it was offered to him the _first_ time, he had decided to act this way to goad her, in public, no less. Each second that passed could mean position points, and she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it from him later on, nor would Totosai. She chewed on her lower lip.

So he was going to be a son-of-a-bitch, eh?

She snatched the container from the crewman and thrust it through the "window", making sure she spilled some of the cola onto his lap. That would leave a stain that would show up in all the photographs if he was fortunate enough to wind up in the winner's circle today. As if he couldn't handle the stress and peed his pants like a wuss. Her eyes never left his and she displayed some of the pleasure she received by her action with a slight smirk. She spoke under the growl of the engine, so that only he could hear.

"I told you before; my name is not '_bitch_'."

Her glare transmitted evil intent, as if she dared him to do something more, but for a fraction of a second, he thought he saw something else behind her trembling irises. He couldn't figure it out just then, but there was _something_. What he suspected but didn't know was that Kagome, for the very first time, realized just how beautiful his eyes were when she looked directly into them at that moment. They seemed to draw her in with their golden intensity.

'Why does _he_ have to be...'

She had to will herself to not respond, to not blink or give him any other indication of the effect he had on her in that briefest of moments.

The straw in the container made empty air bubble noises as he finished his drink. He raised an eyebrow and started to say something but Totosai was screaming in his ear to get his ass back onto the track. He had no time for this. He squinted at her with one eye and made the motion to throw the empty bottle back at her, but she did not flinch. He dropped it to the ground at her feet, and, never losing eye contact with her, gave his own smirk as he gunned the engine, still in neutral.

"Think you're a match for me, hunh? Let me give you a little advice. Watch where you step, o.k?"

He flipped his visor down. She hardly had time to ponder the double meaning when she heard the "click" of the transmission as he put the car in gear. She leapt backward just in time as he throttled the car and took off with a trail of smoke, tracks left behind on the spot where her feet had been seconds before. The drink container had actually been crushed by the rear tire.

'Why, that piece of…'

"Kagome! Kouga's gonna pit in 45 seconds. Let's get busy!"

"Yes, sir!"

She bent down to pick up the crushed container, then, checking that the pit area was clear of any other debris, turned and hopped over the pit barrier.

&&&&&&&

Sesshomaru had by now taken the lead, and was twenty seconds ahead of InuYasha, who picked off weaker cars as he made up ground.

"Jeff who? Mark who? Dale who? Buncha amateurs..."

He mumbled to himself as he passed each one from the low lane. Going into turn three, he caught Miroku, who was in fourth position in the high lane. Miroku backed down the lane to make a space for InuYasha's car, then pulled out of the pocket when InuYasha was positioned in fourth to get in front of him to allow him to draft. InuYasha backed down the lane, and waited until Miroku positioned himself only inches in front of car number fifty seven. They were traveling at more than one-hundred seventy-five miles an hour. '57' could sustain bursts of speed of over one-hundred ninety miles per hour given its current level of tuning, but Sesshomaru was only three car lengths ahead of him now, so he would conserve his fuel until Miroku had to pit.

Then he would make his move.

&&&&&&&

Kouga's car rolled to a stop, and the gang went to work. Kagome cleaned the windshield, then turned to reach for the plastic extender arm to give him his drink. It was nowhere to be found. Thinking quickly, she took the drink container, and, stretching out to him, leaned over the barrier as far as she could. Kouga, completing his conversation with Totosai and now noticing her for the first time since he stopped, smiled at her as he took the drink in one hand, then transferred it to the other while he continued to hold onto her hand with his free one.

"Whoa..!"

Kagome's eyes went wide as she teetered over the barrier, balancing at the waist. After he downed his drink in about three gulps, he threw the empty container away and clasped her hand now with both of his. One more inch or so and she'd topple over onto the ground, but his grip was strong, and somehow she knew he would never let her fall. He stared into her eyes, his face full of emotion.

"The princess of the pit-stop gives nourishment to this lowly track rat. Thank you, dear Kagome."

Kagome's heart was already pounding from her precarious position, and she still felt a bit of adrenaline from her confrontation with InuYasha. She wasn't prepared for the sincere look of gratitude on Kouga's handsome face; his disarming smile and sparkling green eyes made her breath hitch, and she blushed slightly. He was _so_ different from that... that...

She would remind herself later to ask him why they were even friends. The car jerked downward as the hydraulic jack was removed when the tire replacement had been completed. Kouga grasped Kagome's other hand and leaned out and up, helping her to move backward until she could settle herself on her feet behind the barrier. Totosai was going spastic in his headset, so Kouga blew her a kiss and waved as he shifted into first gear.

"Goodbye, my princess! I'll be back soon. Of that I am certain, so wait for meeeeeeeeee!"

His voice trailed away as he accelerated, hitting the main track at 100 miles per hour inside of four seconds.

Kagome turned around and held her head for a second or two until her blush died down. Now _she_ needed something cold to drink. He was such a kidder, but still, he certainly knew a thing or two about what women liked to hear. She looked up at the rest of the pit crew, who all had stopped what they were doing to stare at her. She blinked.

"What?"

&&&&&&&

A/N:

Next: Road Rage.

Thank you, NightMiko, KELEY, cynical chaos, Spitfire-Hanyou15, and xdeathbynamex!


	6. Rolling Thunder

&&&&&&&

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it looks like it's setting up for a thrilling finish!" The announcer enthused, his voice ricocheting across the track.

Twelve laps remaining. With the top seven drivers' points standings so close to each other, the winner today would take a very nice lead into the next race, one step closer to the championship, with but three races remaining.

As the wave of cars tore past the finish line, Sesshomaru's fans roared their love and admiration over his command of the race thus far, with little help from his team, no less. Many female fans waved their "fluffy" bobble-head dolls in excitement as he roared past the grandstand like a solitary crusader, taking on and dispatching his enemies with poise and cool detachment. His white steed ran flawlessly, despite the dings it had taken from today's battle. The Taurus, like its namesake, the bull, was strong enough that he had been able to skip away from most attempts at bump-drafting from any driver who tried to take the spot directly behind him.

But that kind of power had its price, and so he became concerned as Jaken relayed that his car would be very close to an empty tank, within seven to ten gallons of fuel by the time he reached the finish line, if he reached it at all. A pit stop now was likely to cost him the win, as there weren't enough laps remaining to give him a chance to retake the lead, or at least compete for it.

On the other hand, if he kept up his current strategy, he was sure to be challenged before the finish line, and fighting off those challengers was certain to consume even more fuel. The second greatest embarrassment to a driver was to run out of fuel just before the finish, and he, Sesshomaru, would never be made a laughing stock to either the fans, or his fellow drivers.

"Hnn"

He grunted to himself, and began to reduce his speed slowly. In the best case scenario, one of the other drivers, chomping at the bit, would challenge him soon, and give him an opportunity to save some fuel by taking the lead and letting him draft for a few laps. But he would have to be careful that he not fall behind a one-shot wonder, who captured the lead only briefly, only to eventually fall back into the pack. His chances for success would dissipate rapidly should that happen. He would need to sustain a position where he could re-engage for the lead, and that all depended on who he would be drafting behind.

If it was someone from Team Hidaka, his chances wouldn't necessarily improve, because those guys would never defer to him when it was time for him to make his move. With Team Hidaka, it was different. If he made a move to bump himself free of one, one of the others would try to protect his teammate's position, and he would engage Sesshomaru, the two of them grinding each other into magnet shavings until the finish line. He knew that at least InuYasha's car was strong enough to give him a run for the money, indeed, he had beaten Naraku to a pulp earlier, and that one hadn't recovered, now stuck somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Also, Kouga seemed to be running strongly today as well. As teammates, they would soon put themselves into the fray, working together to ensure that at least one, if not both of them, remained in contention until the end. After that, Sesshomaru considered, the concept of "team" would go flying down the road as they then went after each other, and it would be every man for himself as the checkered flag neared. And then there was Miroku, the unknown factor. Jaken mentioned that he had moved up to fifth place, and was still coming on strong. Sesshomaru resolved that he did not want to be a spectator to the Hidaka duel as it unfolded in front of him. Unless he got lucky, and someone else cracked up to bring out the yellow flag, he simply couldn't pit now.

'Tuck and draft, then…'

Better to be proactive. He smiled to himself as he eased off the accelerator and waited.

He didn't have to wait long.

&&&&&&&

Sango filled the last hand-held container from the main fuel tank and sealed it, then nodded to her crew-mate; he then pulled the motorized dolly containing the six full cells over to holding area. Sango then locked down the large fuel tank, and hurried over to where Kagome was working.

One of her tasks was to make sure the power generator and backup generators were in working order at all times, or the power jacks and lug wrenches wouldn't work. Both jobs would then have to be completed by hand, making it impossible for a driver to get out of the pits in less than half a minute. That was clearly unacceptable. Kagome, concentrating on her task, felt Sango's hand on her shoulder. Sango tapped on the side of her helmet, indicating that she didn't want to communicate via radio frequency, or Totosai might hear their conversation and then tar and feather them.

"One minute. I'm almost done here."

With that, she fired up the backup generator and tested all four of the power wrenches. Satisfied that everything was working properly, she shut it down, then removed her helmet as she stood to face her new friend. Sango did the same, shaking her pony-tail out to its full length.

"How's it going, Kagome?"

Sango almost yelled over the din of the passing cars.

"Well, it's been a hell of a day so far." Kagome replied.

"So, what's up with Kouga?"

Sango, like everyone else, had witnessed what had transpired during his last pit stop. She didn't want to push their new friendship too far, but Sango looked up to Kagome, proud of her friend's success in the truck series. She promised herself that she would lend whatever support she could so that Kagome could get a legitimate chance to prove herself in competition. And also, Sango had admitted to herself that she had been smitten by that aloof guy who drove the purple car, and perhaps, just maybe, Kagome could give her a few pointers to help her overcome her shyness. Sango was quite attractive, but also somewhat innocent about these kinds of things. Perhaps Kagome could…

Kagome blanched at the question, almost coughing out a response.

"Oh, that guy Kouga is such a total doofus, kidding around like that…"

Sango noticed that Kagome wasn't able to look her in the eye, and that her cheeks were turning pink when she said that. She quickly tried to change the subject, deciding to try a less direct approach later.

"I… umm, hope it doesn't get much hotter. My hair can't take much more of this humidity…"

Sango then grasped her pony-tail in one hand, and ran the fingers of her other hand through it, tugging through the split ends.

"I know what you mean. It's horrible. I'm thinking of getting it cut."

Kagome replied. She turned toward the trailer area, and noticed Yura heading toward them, her face a mixture of emotions. For a second, Yura locked eyes with Kagome, and then turned away, as if she was trying to decide between a few different courses of action. Her hesitation was brief, however, and she now strode purposefully over to the two other girls. Kagome didn't know what to expect, and Sango merely watched as the interaction began.

"Hello, Kagome. Hello, Sango. My, but your hair is quite beautiful."

Sango stopped combing her fingers through her hair at that comment, and replied with a slightly perplexed look on her face.

"Umm… thank you…"

"Kagome, could I speak to you for a moment?"

Yura almost reached out to tug on Kagome's arm, but thought the better of it and kept her hands at her sides. Kagome cocked her head to the side as she studied the girl, wondering what this could be about.

"Sure. Sango, I'm sorry…"

"No problem. If you ladies would excuse me…"

Sango turned to head back to the pit area, the sun reflecting off her green jumpsuit, causing Yura to mutter, as she held out her arms, examining her own suit.

"Who came up with this color scheme?"

"I know. Isn't it awful?"

"Hideous. We look like somebody puked us up after one too many.

"Well it could be worse. It could have been lime green. Then, from a distance, the spectators couldn't tell us from flies."

Both girls laughed at their jokes, Yura happy to have an opening to let her say what she really wanted to. She took a deep breath, then spit it out.

"Kagome, listen. I… I wanted to apologize to you for… for what happened earlier. And I also wanted to thank you for what you did."

Yura looked away for a moment, then, with great effort, back at Kagome, staring right into that one's eyes.

"It's just that… when it comes to _him_… I get kind of crazy and…"

Kagome realized just then what courage it took for Yura to say these things to her.

"Yura, you don't have to say anything more. I understand."

Even as she said that, the memory of what she felt when she stared into his eyes came back to her. She began to feel warmer all of a sudden, from that feeling itself, but even more from the realization of what that feeling could mean.

"Yura! Kagome!"

Totosai's voice crackling through their headsets got the girls' attention, and they ran back to their work stations, securing their helmets as they did. They would finish this conversation later.

&&&&&&&

A well-tuned braking system can take a NASCAR vehicle from 175 mph down to zero in about nine seconds, but it still needs more than 250 feet for that to occur. These guys were lucky if they were more than 250 centimeters from each other, going at top speed. Everybody wanted to win, or at least finish as high as possible, to add the most points to their standings. The drivers of the weaker cars knew they could not compete with the likes of InuYasha, Sesshomaru and Kouga; they had not the car, the skill, or the balls to sustain an extended run at that level.

The game was still potentially quite lucrative for them, and the second and third-tier drivers competed with each other within their own mini "packs", because consistent finishes, even in the top 15, meant you could move up the pecking order within your own team, or be wooed to another, better team, with the prospect of a better-engineered vehicle, better pit support, and a better payday.

So logical.

Then why do they do such stupid things, sometimes?

With eleven laps to go, Kouga, intent on catching his teammate, as well as Sesshomaru, made a three-wide, inside move on turn two to capture tenth position, having moved easily through the pack up until that point. Passing one Jeff, and then the other, he waved, then chuckled at a joke he made.

'Jeff and Jeff… _Mutt and Jeff_… which one's the mutt? That's a hoot! Hahahahahaha…'

When his laughter died down, he spoke into his mike.

"Miroku, where are you?"

"I'm up on the wall, just into turn one. Can you see me?"

Kouga was just able to hear above the roar of his engine. He squinted, and then was able to make out the purple car up ahead.

"Yeah, I got you dead in my sights. I'll be passing through in just a minute, sweet-heart."

"I'll have some tea and crumpets ready for your visit."

Both Kouga and Miroku burst out laughing.

"If you two knew what you sounded like…"

InuYasha grunted through their headsets. Kouga would have wiped a tear from his eye, but he had his helmet and gloves on. He sighed.

"Dude, how ya doin'?"

"Sittin' pretty in third behind Stewart, just waitin' to pick my spot. In about three laps, I'll take him, and then that other arrogant bastard out in front. Where's your sorry ass?"

"I'm about 10 seconds behind you, trying to get around some rookies. I can see Miroku coming out of turn one now. Give me about another two laps, and I'll be right there to give you a good ass-kicking. Make sure your panties are on nice and tight…"

'What the…'

The car nearest the wall, its driver unable to handle the pressure of pushing his car at its upper limit against now two competitors, lost his nerve and tried to back down. He lost his grip on the steering wheel for a fraction of a second, but that was enough. His nose tapped the nose of the car in the middle, and like a domino, that one tapped Kouga's nose, but with much more momentum.

Kouga never saw it coming.

When he felt the impact, and the new direction his car was taking, he tried his best to turn into the direction of the skid, to hopefully get his car back under control, but by now he was already on the infield grass, and going sideways at 100 miles per hour. At that speed, and on the slick grass, he had absolutely no control of the car. He gritted his teeth as he beheld the concrete stanchion that supported the infield tower. It was approaching very fast. He took the second and a half he had before impact to say a short prayer, the prayer all drivers make instinctively, as they prepare for the great checkered flag in the sky. Bravely, he opened his eyes and, grimacing, looked into the face of his death as it came at him.

'This is gonna hurt…'

"Unnh!"

His body jerked backward as the car that had been in the middle of the duel now caught up to him, smacking the rear end and sending Kouga's car into the air, now somersaulting, now catching the earth with its nose, pirouetting away from the stanchion. The crowd, first oohing and aahing at the beautiful, deadly solo dance, next held its collective breath as the car, like a giant spinning top, moved about a hundred and fifty feet, then stopped before collapsing on its roof.

Kouga could be seen inside, hanging upside down. He was not moving.

Everyone watched as the caution flag went up. Kagome's heart was in her throat.

'Kouga…'

**&&&&&&&**

A/N: It's been a while, but we'll see if we can pick up where we left off and keep going with this…

Next: Kagome's chance in competition… finally! You go, girl!

Thank you, MoonNightMiko, shortPoet, speed killz, Cynical Chaos, and Savitri Marie !!!

Ciao!

W.


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